stranger

stranger — noun

1. someone whose identity is unknown to you because the two of you have never met

1.nounB1
Definition

someone whose identity is unknown to you because the two of you have never met

Example

Camila was taught never to accept sweets from a stranger.

collocation: accept [something] from a stranger

A stranger at the bus stop asked Liang for directions to the library.

Common collocations
  • total stranger
  • complete stranger
  • perfect stranger
  • trust a stranger
  • talk to a stranger
  • a stranger appears
  • a stranger approaches
Synonyms
  • unknown

    less common as a noun; more general and less personal

  • new face

    informal; implies the person has just joined a group or setting

Antonyms
  • acquaintance

    someone you know slightly but not as a close friend

  • friend

    a person with whom you have a close relationship

Grammar Patterns

stranger + verb

a/the stranger

Usage Note

Frequently used in safety advice and warnings directed at children ('don't talk to strangers'). The word itself carries no judgment about the person — it only describes the absence of an acquaintance.

Common Mistakes

I saw a stranger on the street — he was from Japan.
I saw a foreigner on the street
he was from Japan.' — A 'stranger' is someone you do not know, not necessarily someone from another country.

2. someone who finds themselves in a town, city, or social setting that they have n

2.nounB1
Definition

someone who finds themselves in a town, city, or social setting that they have never experienced before

Example

Layla felt like a stranger in the big city on her first day at work.

The villagers welcomed the stranger who arrived at their doorstep during the storm.

Common collocations
  • a stranger to
  • be no stranger to
  • treat someone as a stranger
  • feel like a stranger
  • a stranger in a strange land
Synonyms
  • newcomer

    neutral; focuses on recent arrival rather than unfamiliarity

  • outsider

    can carry a negative tone of being excluded

  • visitor

    temporary stay, not necessarily unfamiliar

Antonyms
  • local

    someone who lives or belongs in that place

  • insider

    someone accepted as part of a group

Grammar Patterns

a stranger to [place/situation]

Usage Note

Often appears in the pattern 'a stranger to [place/situation]' to mean someone who is unfamiliar with that setting. A positive variation — 'be no stranger to [something]' — means to be very experienced or familiar with it.

Common Mistakes

I am a stranger in this country — I was born here.
I am a foreigner in this country
I was born here.' — 'Stranger' means you are unfamiliar with the place, not that you come from elsewhere.
Idioms

be no/a stranger to something

idiom

To have or not have experience with something because you have or have not encountered it before.

Maya is no stranger to hard work and long hours.

Is Diego a stranger to failure after his startup collapsed?

stranger — adjective

stranger — verb

Word family

  • strange
    adjectiveB1
  • strangely
    adverbB2
  • strangeness
    nounB2
  • estrange
    verbC1
  • estranged
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all five words describe someone who is not part of a familiar circle, each carries a different shade. 'Stranger' (noun/1) focuses purely on the lack of prior acquaintance — you do not know the person's name or identity. 'Foreigner' means someone from a different country, regardless of whether you know them personally. 'Outsider' often has a negative or exclusionary tone: the person is not accepted by the group. 'Newcomer' is neutral and emphasises recent arrival rather than unfamiliarity. 'Unknown' as a noun is rare and abstract, used mostly in literary contexts ('the great unknown'). In everyday conversation, use 'stranger' when you mean someone you have never met, and 'foreigner' when nationality is the point. Example: 'The person at the door was a total stranger, so I did not open it.' versus 'The city has many foreigners working in the tech industry.'

stranger ↗foreigner ↗outsidernewcomer ↗unknown ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a stranger to
  • be no stranger to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'stranger' entered Middle English as 'straunger' through Old French 'estrangier', which meant a foreigner or outsider. The French word came from Latin 'extraneus' — meaning 'external or foreign' — which itself grew from 'extra' (outside). The modern sense of 'someone you do not know' developed from the broader idea of being outside one's familiar circle.